What is needed to advance African Agriculture?

Steve Wiggins

Overseas Development Institute

Main messages

• African agriculture can advance– reasons to be optimistic

• Tailor solutions to different:– problems, – regions, & – social groups

Is African agriculture in crisis?

3% 4% 5% 6% 7%

KuwaitAngola

PeruViet NamMyanmar

Côte d'IvoireGhana

MozambiqueNicaragua

LiberiaHonduras

BeninCambodia

ChinaBurkina Faso

NigerSudan

EthiopiaBrazil

GambiaBoliviaEgyptChad

TurkmenistaYemenMalawi

Wor ld's fastest growing agr icultures1990/92 to 2004/06Based on Gross Production Index, 3YMA

Data: FAOSTAT Countries with 1 million inhabitants or more

No single way forward: Problems

• Market failures

• Government & policy failure

• Appropriate technology lacking

• Too little effective demand for output

Different circumstances, different limitations

No single way forward: territoriesSnrech 1995 Accès au marché

Faible (ou trop risqué) Fort

Pression sur les ressources

Faible

Culture extensive d'auto-subsistance

ou émigration. Importance de

1'élévage

Grandes exploitations mécanisées

intensives en capital (fronts pionniers

cotonnier, deuxième couronne péri-

urbaine)

Forte Culture d'autosubsistance intensive en travail

faiblement rémunératrice

forte émigration

Intensification à base de travail et/ou

capital en fonction de la structuration

préalable du milieu (Kano vs Koutiala)

No single way forward: Social Groups…. Land holding amongst small farmers (Jayne et al. 2005)

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

Kenya Ethiopia Rwanda Mozambique Zambia

Hectares

1st Quartile 2nd Quartile 3rd Quartile 4th Quartile

No single way forward: Social GroupsThree Options (Dorward et al. at Wye/SOAS)

Step UpStep Up intensifying intensifying farmingfarming

Transport, Inputs, Credit

Technology

Farmer organisation

Step OutStep Out into into non-farm economynon-farm economy

Education & Skills

Migration: info, rights, remittances

Hang InHang In protect protect & survive& survive

Technology: food staples

Social Protection

Early start for next generation

Summing up

• Success possible

• But need detailed thinking about:– Particular problems faced, – Nature of different districts, & – Differences between households